Meet Stephen Curry’s Filipino tattoo artist

WALNUT CREEK, CA — While it has become a tradition that professional athletes celebrate a championship with champagne showers, two-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry and his family had another idea: getting tattoos.

It was Pinoy tattoo artist Nino Lapid @zappyzip who had the opportunity to ink the family.

“I just got lucky I guess. They called, and next thing you know it I was at their house that night. It’s amazing. It’s crazy,” Lapid said. “Until now, it’s very surreal.”

It all happened last Tuesday night in a private session at Curry’s home in Walnut Creek.

While it was all very exciting, Lapid admits feeling some butterflies in his stomach on the way to the Curry residence.

“Drove over there, it was cool. I was with my boss Siobhan. She was just coaching me the whole way. ‘Just relax. Take it easy. Just be yourself.’ and once we got there they were very, very accommodating. I can’t say anything bad about the Curry’s.”

Lapid says the Curry’s have been previous customers of the shop he works at, Zebra Tattoo and body piercing.

According to Lapid — Curry, along with his wife Ayesha, his father Dell, and brother Seth mostly got the same tattoo.

“To describe it, it’s Hebrew letters. What it is…you have to ask them,” he laughed.

Based on netizens interpretations, the letters spell out “Curry” in hebrew.

“It was a very intimate moment, a very family moment,” he said. “I didn’t get to ask for an autograph for anything like that. It was very, very professional.”

Lapid is the eldest son of Miss World Philippines 1973 Evangeline Pascual.

He was formerly a teacher in the Philippines, but decided to become a tattoo artist full time after the birth of his daughter, Francesca — and has been tattooing for the past 11 years in the Bay Area.

With the news of his work with the Curry’s going viral, he says he’s happy for making everyone proud of his work.

“When I woke up the next day just a bunch of tagging of classmates, friends here and there. My mom of course; I sent it through Viber. I’m just so happy to make Filipinos proud. I’m blessed about that.”

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